Yacht Seelster had never been driven by George Brennan, and a week ago, the Nik Drennan trainee displayed blazing speed before getting nipped at odds of 70-1 on the money by Colossal Stride A. Yet somehow, with a new driver and a different tactic, Yacht Seelster won the Saturday night (March 20) feature at The Meadowlands.

“They were leaving too fast for me,” said Brennan of the early stages of the $20,000 high-end conditioned pace. “I’m looking for the best trip I can get. And it looked like it was going to work out for me.”

Lexus Witha View A flew off the gate to grab the lead at the quarter in :27.1 as Tito Rocks sat the pocket, with 9-5 second choice Ashley Locaz N on the move going after the lead. Brennan and ‘Yacht’ sat fifth, right in behind the 8-5 public choice Colossal Stride A, waiting for that one to make a move.

“I slid in behind him,” said Brennan. “I thought he was the horse to beat.”

Colossal Stride A had such a quick burst of speed up the backstretch that Yacht Seelster had to catch his cover, and when Ashley Locaz N did not relinquish the top to Colossal Stride A, Brennan was sitting pretty.

In mid-stretch, after three-quarters was timed in 1:23.4, Brennan tipped Yacht Seelster off his cover and gunned down Colossal Stride A at the wire after Ashley Locaz N weakened in the lane.

“I didn’t know if I had enough to get there,” said Brennan. “But [Colossal Stride A] was pretty tough, and some others were swarming in on the outside. I thought I could get up.”

Racing in the five-path for the final eighth, Yacht Seelster got there by a head in 1:51. Colossal Stride A was second with a fast-closing Franco Totem N gabbing the show spot.

As the 5-1 fourth choice in the betting, Yacht Seelster returned $13.80 to his backers. The six-year-old son of Shadow Play-Yankee Athena, who is owned by Donald Lindsey, Paul Kleinpaste and William Alempijevic, now has 16 wins from 87 career starts and earnings of $236,600.

A COOL DOZEN: All-source wagering totaled $3,147,829. There have been 12 Saturday night programs at The Big M this year, and all 12 have seen betting surpass the $3-million plateau.

A COOL HALF-DOZEN: The 20-cent Pick 6 did not see many big prices, but those with winning tickets cashed in huge nonetheless. With a $7,384 carryover serving as the catalyst, the pool totaled $43,520 when all bets were taken. After a sequence that saw winner’s odds of 3-2, 5-2, 5-1, 4-1, 9-5 and 8-5, those who hit walked away with $6,568.

A LITTLE MORE: Five drivers accounted for 10 of the 13 winners on the program as Simon Allard, Yannick Gingras, Corey Callahan, Andy McCarthy and Todd McCarthy all scored twice.

Racing resumes Friday at 6:20 p.m. (EDT).

(The Meadowlands)